At a post-practice press conference, reporters asked San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama about his reaction to the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement killings in Minnesota. Wembanyama stated, “PR has tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct [answer]. Every day I wake up and see the news and I’m horrified.” Wembanyama’s peers Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyrese Haliburton echoed this sentiment on social media.
Public statements like these, which aren’t customary from professional athletes, are part of why the National Basketball Association (NBA) is routinely considered the most socially progressive of the major U.S. sports leagues. Yet outside of the progressivism of its individual members, the league itself has done little to earn this label — and at times, it has even hindered those who do speak out.
In 2019, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey famously tweeted in support of ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which were sparked by a proposed extradition law. The backlash was swift: Chinese sponsors, broadcasters and corporations terminated their partnerships with the Rockets because of Morey’s tweet. All in all, the fallout reportedly cost the league up to $200 million in revenue. The league quickly released a statement, calling Morey’s comments “regrettable” and “deeply offen[sive]” to Chinese fans.
The Morey incident encapsulates the NBA’s problem with progressivism; the league is perfectly content with maintaining an outwardly progressive appearance, but when standing on progressive beliefs hurts its bottom line, it is reluctant to do so.
Conversely, when presented with a lucrative opportunity that isn’t aligned with its so-called progressive ideals, the league is more than willing to turn a blind eye to the repercussions. This is best demonstrated by the NBA’s ongoing multi-year partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has been criticized for “sportswashing” the country’s human rights record.
The NBA announced its initial deal with Abu Dhabi in November 2021, consisting of hosting several preseason exhibition games at the Etihad Arena every year. But why stop there? The NBA’s flashy new in-season tournament — designed to save falling TV viewership and compete with the National Football League (NFL) in November — needed a headlining sponsor. So now Emirates holds the naming rights for the NBA Cup, along with being the official global airline partner of the league.
Oh, and there’s an Emirates patch on every referee’s uniform.
Since their introduction in 2017, jersey patch sponsors have turned NBA uniforms into prime real estate for sportswashing and the advertisement of predatory industries, like cryptocurrency. In 2025, the Los Angeles Clippers began sporting a Visit Rwanda patch, as the authoritarian Rwandan regime seeks to launder its reputation in the West. The Philadelphia 76ers continue to wear a Crypto.com patch despite the company’s regulatory scrutiny and ties to President Donald Trump.
Equally as problematic are the league’s partnerships with sports betting companies like FanDuel and DraftKings. In an era where young men — the NBA’s primary demographic — are developing addictions to gambling, placing wagers on basketball games can serve as a dangerous gateway. If the NBA was serious about its progressive image at all, it wouldn’t have these sportsbooks on its balance sheet.
To be fair, partnering with sports betting companies isn’t an issue that is unique to basketball — the Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and NFL have each embraced gambling sponsors as well. Rather, the NBA’s collaboration with sports betting poses a problem with image compatibility. That is to say, those other leagues aren’t known as progressive institutions like the NBA, nor are they interested in cultivating that reputation or reaping the benefits that come with it.
Above all else, the NBA is interested in maximizing its profits; that’s why the league has taken money from the UAE, sportsbooks and whoever else comes knocking. That’s why the league effectively muzzled Morey in 2019 after it lost tens of millions of dollars.
And if the NBA wants to be a profit-maximizing enterprise, it has every right to do so, but it can’t also be a beacon of progressivism. No matter how hard the league tries, those two things are incompatible.
Dragan Kupenov is an Opinion Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. He can be reached at dkupenov@uci.edu.
Edited by Rebecca Do and Sasha Alikhanov
